THE Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has called on the Federal Government to merge the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, with the police for effectiveness.

Egbetokun made this call at the National Dialogue on State Policing, organised by the House of Representatives on Monday in Abuja with the theme ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria’.

Represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ben Okoro, the IGP said that the NSCDC and the FRSC were duplications of the police force.

Egbetokun also said that Nigeria was not ripe enough for state police urging those calling for state police to work toward merging the NCDSC and the FRSC with the police for effectiveness.

He said the police were battling with inadequate training as well as lack of adequate manpower.

He said that most police barracks had dilapidated due to lack of maintenance and renovation.

“This has have a negative impact on the performance of the policemen,” he said.

Egbetokun also faulted calls for state police saying that Nigeria was not matured enough for state police.

He added that state police would create avenues for state governor to use it to suppress the opposition in their states.

He said creating state police would also lead to the problem of jurisdiction, which would bring about conflicts of interest.